Wringer guard for power-driven wringers



July 2s, 1925. A ,1,547,484

M'. WUERPEL WRQNGER GUARD FR POWER DRIVEN WRINGERS Filled March z, '1921 2 sheets-sheet 1 July 28,1925. 1,547,484

M. WUERPEL WRINGER GUARDFR PQWER DRIVEN WRINGERS Filed March 2, l15521 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented July 28, 1925.

rUNITED STATE PATENT OF'FCE.

MORRIS WUERPEL, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR, EY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE G. R. S. PRODUCTS, INC., OF COLONIE, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

WRINGER GUARD FOR POWER-DRIVEN WRINGERS.

Application filed March 2, 1921. Serial No. 449,014.

To a-ZZ whom t may concem Be it known that I, Moiiizis VUERPEL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful'Improvements in 7VVringer Guards for Power-Driven l/Vringers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to safety guards for power operated wringers designed to protect the lingers of the operator.

lhen feeding clothes through the ordinary wringer, it is necessary to get an end or fold ofthe garment close enough to the rolls to be gripped, and operators in their efforts to get the clothes started, sometimes carelessly or accidentally get their fingers caught between the moving rolls, with the result that the lingers and hand are often severely crushed and injured before the rolls can be stopped or the pressure released. Guards to compel the operator to keep the lingers out of danger have been proposed, but such guards as ordinarily constructed are objectionable because they seriously interfere with the regular use of the wringer, or injure the clothes when they bunch up or wind around the rolls.

The present invention is designed to afford the desired protection to the operator, to assist rather than hinder the feeding of clothes to the wringer, and to prevent injury to the clothes if they bunch up or wind around the rolls. Other detail features and advantages of the invention will 'be pointed out hereinafter as the description progresses.

One preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a front view, with some parts in section, of a power operated wringer with my improved safety guard applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section on the line 2-2 in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary side view.

Referring to the drawings, the present invention has been shown applied to a swinging reversible power operated wringer of a well-known type and construction. This wringer comprises upright side members A which support the upper and lower rolls R in the usual way, said rolls being pressed together by springs 1 adjustable by hand screws 2. The screws 2 are carried in the ends of a breakable bar 3 held together by a releasable catch 4. Below the rolls is the usual drain board 5; and in the particular construction illustrated, guide boards 6 are also provided on opposite sides of the rolls but these guide boards are not essential the improved guard.

l The upright members A ofthe wringer are slotted at their lower ends to fit over the vertical web of a supporting arm or bracket B, and are fastened to said web by bolts?. The bracket B is mounted to swing horizontally on a vertical axis, and in the construction shown, said bracket is supported upony an upper part M of the mechanism casing of the washing machine (not shown),

being held in its different position by a spring-pressed latch bolt 8. rlhe lower roll yR of the wringer is driven through a loose coupling 9 by a short horizontal shaft 10 supported in bearings in a gear case 11,

Yforming part of the bracket B. The shaft 10 is connected by suitable reversible gearing to an upright shaft 12, which is connected in any suitable `manner to the operating mechanism of the washing machine. In the construction illustrated, the reversible gearing comprises two bevel gears 13 loose on the shaft 10 and meshing with a bevel pinion 14 fixed to the driven shaft 12, and a clutch member 15 splined to the shaft 10 and shiftable by a handle 16 from the neutral position shown into engagement with one or the other of the gears B. The upper and lower rolls R of the wringer'areconnected together by the usual gearing (not shown) which is shown as covered by a cap 17.

The safety guard constituting the present invention comprises two end members S, which are pivotally supported on'pins 18 integral with or fastened to brackets 19 and 19a screwed or otherwise suitably fastened to the upright end members A of the wringer frame. rlhese end members S, as best shown in Fig. 2, have a general form of the letter M, the sides of which straddle the rolls. rThe parts of the guard proper arefduplicated on opposite sides of the rolls, and are carried by the tilting end members S so that they may be alternately moved into the working position as the operator feeds clothes to the wringer from opposite sides thereof. For convenience these duplicate parts are given the same reference numbers with and a description of one set will suffice for both.

The end members S are connected at their lw`erends, on each end of the wringer rolls, bya curved guide or feed board 20, which is preferably made of aluminum or similar rustless metal, withits upper surface smooth and polished. Above this `feedboard is a curved guard 22, which is `formed with end jlugsfguided in grooves in the end members S, the bottom of said grooves limiting the downward movement of said guard. Within each of saidgrooves is -a light compression coil `spring 23, which is held in place by a follower-24, fastened lby a cotter pin or the like. These springs Qbear against the end lugs ofthe lguard member 22 and press it downward to its lowest position, in which `the'lower :edge of said guard member and {therinner upper face of the guide board 2O Atdefine'a narrowslot, sufiiciently wide to receiveclothes, but too narrow to allow the "withlthefeeding of clothes tolthe rolls from4 fingersofthe-operator to pass.

In=order to hold said end members -in the desired rposition, as -the two sets of guard members `20---22 on `opposite sides of the,

lthat sideof the wringer. Also, if the clothes were `fed `from the righthand side of the `v lwringer, "as viewed in Fig. `2, with shifting `the` guard, therewould beinterference with the movement oftheV clothes out of the rolls. Consequently, it is assured that the operator will shift the guard as the clothes are fed into the different sides of the wringer.

'Thelparts are preferably so arranged and L'proportioned that the slot betweenl the guard member -and feed board 2O is too narrow to admit the fingers, and the tensionA of the vsprings 23 is lselected so that the operator *maylpress hard againstthe guardniember "22 without lifting it. The operator, theredirectly l happens,

lfore, in feedime` the clothes, may push them The guard 22 `may raise, however,`to allow bunches of clothesto passthrough; and ii. -the clothes should wind around the rolls, as sometimes thereby avoiding tearing or injury of the clothes. In thls con- V through the slot between the parts QOQ-Qand 1 into the rollers.

the 'guard as a whole. can `swing i ou t? away from the A rolls,

lL5M/,4.34

nection it is noted that the tension of the spring operating the latch 25 is proportioned so` that it will prevent the guard shifting by ordinary j ar and vibratiombut will al- `lowit to be easily swung by hand or by clothes. y -A My improved guard serves to keep the iingers of the operator out of direct contactwith the rolls, thereby obviating chance of the fingers being caught, while at thesame `time the clothes may befed tothe `rolls in the usual way. Also, no damage will be done to the Vclothes in case they pass Athrough in bunches oit-wrap aroundthe rolls.` lf the fingers of the operator happen to be caught in a fold, or should tangle up `in the clothes and be ipulled 4through the-guardnbetween the rolls, "the guard itself' afl'ords a convenient grip for .holding` the `fingers from being carried Vbetween the rolls,4 itV being possible in some cases to cause the clothvesto Y tear or the Amachine'to stalllbeforethe hand ,is carried in. Also, with something to grip easily andhold backthelingers, more time is given to operatethesafety `pressure release device. `Another advantageof the improved construction isthatfthe smooth surfaceof theguard 22 and feed board 20 'act to straighten `out buttonsand the like yand cause them fto pass'throughtherlls flatwise and not betracked ortornoiffas muchas with the ordinarywringer. i It may beladded that the gua-rdinfmany respects 4facilitates vfeeding the wringer,}since" it allows the operatorto push the clothes in between the rolls with no danger oftheiingers goingtoo far and being caught, the guard members 20-2,2 serving to'lrefep the fingers Va safedis- `tance A.from the rolls.

VfThe particular construction ,shown 'and described is merely illustrative ofthe invention,l and various y adaptationsgand modifications maybe made without departing from y the invention.

l. A safety guardfor wringers comprising a support` attached tothe wringer frame having a smooth curved feedboard terminating at its inner edge near the line of Contact of the wringer rolls, a lvertically movable `guard member arranged above said feed board on said support and yieldingly -held in position with itslower edge above the inner edge of the feedboardand thereby forming a narrow slot permitting theintroduction of clothes tothe rolls, said slotv being too narrow to allow the fingers of the operator` to pass through. l y

2. ANsafe-tyguard for Iwriingers comprising two end memberslpivotally supported to rock on a horizontal axis, guards carried by said members and arranged tobe alternately rotated intoand out of reposition, in which rposition such guardprevents afhandfrom entering between the wringer rolls, and

means for retaining said members in different positions.

3. A safety guard for wringers comprising two rocking end members connected by a curved feed board, a curved guard above the feed board, and slidably guided at its ends in grooves in said members, the movement of the guard toward said board being limited by said grooves, and springs acting at each end of the guard to maintain it normally close to said feed board.

4L. The combination of a clothes wringer, of a safety device therefor comprising safety guards on opposite sides of the wringer, only one of which can be placed in the operative position at one time, each of said safety guards consisting of a feed board and a guard member movable on the guard relatively to the feed board.

5. The combination of a clothes wringer, of a safety device therefor, said safety device comprising a support pivotally mounted on each end of the wringer, a curved feed board carried by. said supports and terminating just below the plane of contact of the wringer rolls, and a guard member supported yieldingly on said supports.

6. A safety guard for wringers comprising, two end members pivotally supported from the wringer frame, curved feed boards and guard members carried by said members and arranged to be alternately swung into and out of position with respect to the wringer rolls, and yieldable means for holding said guard members yieldingly in position against a stop.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

MORRIS WUERPEL. l 

